UP lawmakers, led by Assembly speaker Satish Mahana, on Sunday reached the newly constructed Ram Temple in Ayodhya. CM Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CMs KP Maurya, Brajesh Pathak and members of the UP Assembly and Legislative Council offered prayers at the sanctum sanatorium, where the idol of Ram Lalla is placed.

As many as eight buses departed from Lucknow amid chants of Jai Shri Ram and flower petals showered upon them.  

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Satish Mahana said he visited the site when it was demolished and now he feels fortunate to see god directly. “I am very emotional because when I came to this place, there was a structure here, which was demolished in front of us on December 6. I had come here at the time when a bullet was fired in 1990. I came here at the time when the platform was constructed... And today I am fortunate that I got the privilege of seeing God directly,” he said.

Lawmakers of the ruling BJP, along with those from the Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) are part of the congregation. Samajwadi Party, however, turned down Mahana’s invitation stating that they would make their arrangements and would go to the Ram Temple sometime later.

People were seen showering petals on the buses carrying MLAs and MLCs to Ayodhya. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will arrive in the temple city by flight from Pune.

Responding to the invitation, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav categorically said he would not go to the Ram Temple with the Mahana-led convoy and would pay a visit when Ram Lalla calls. “I won’t go to Ayodhya on your invitation. I will go when Ram Lalla calls me. First, I will do Shiv Aradhana, then go to Ayodhya with my entire family," he said.

Yadav’s decision to turn down the invitation has attracted a lot of ire, especially from the leaders of the ruling dispensation. Reacting to the development, UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya said people who do not belong to Lord Rama were useless. “Joh Ram Ka Nahin, Woh Kisi Ka Nahin…these are the people who had ordered opening fire on Ram bhakts in 1990,” News 18 quoted Maurya as saying.  

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The pran pratishtha ceremony of the idol at Ayodhya’s Ram temple was held on January 22, after several rituals that began on January 16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers inside the sanctum sanatorium, where the idol was established.